


Be Honest

by MoonlightShines (Thatkillervibe)



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Cisco the life coach, F/M, Post 6x02, Ralph and Cisco tag teaming, Tea Spilt, season 6, who needs a life coach
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-20 20:20:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21062615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatkillervibe/pseuds/MoonlightShines
Summary: The biggest challenge, Cisco soon came to learn, of being Killer Frost's reluctant co-life coach, was that getting Killer Frost to open up was like pulling teeth.Post 6x02.





	Be Honest

The biggest challenge, Cisco soon came to learn, of being Killer Frost's reluctant co-life coach, was that getting Killer Frost to open up was like pulling teeth. 

Caitlin did not like to talk about her problems either, so Cisco wasn't sure why he's quite so surprised. The difference, however, between dealing with Caitlin bottling up emotions and Killer Frost pretending not to have any, was that with one he could have a nice, civil conversation with that ended with hugs and mutual understanding—The other was desperate scrambles to damage control imploded social disasters. 

Thus, when Killer Frost knocked on Cisco's workshop door with a grimace that looked like she drank spoilt milk for breakfast, he dropped his welding tools like hot potatoes. "What did you do?" 

"I fucked up." 

"What did you_ do?"_ His tone was not kind, and it never seemed to be instinctually. He had to control his voice around her. She bristled when he grew cross without the chance to defend herself, despite the pattern which proved he always had reason to be. 

Frost didn't reply straight away, but she did go for Cisco's extra rolling office chair. Reclining back against the leather, she began to ramble her story while yanking off the black combat boots Ralph found for her at a thrift shop. Cisco tried to follow along, batting away her feet as she tried to prop up her mesh socks against his screwdrivers. 

Frost rolled her eyes and huffed. "I was doing him a favour, I thought you told me to be nice. Now Ralph hates me." 

"He doesn't hate you," Cisco replied diplomatically. That man's patience for Killer Frost rivalled the water in the ocean. Cisco couldn't relate. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

Cisco adores Caitlin, and he adores her will to stick out taking a long cognitive nap to let her alter ego have some life experiences, but by god did he not adore _her. _

He's not sure what it is. Barry thinks he's being stubborn and unwilling to try, and Ralph simply never had a problem with her to begin with, but Cisco misses his best friend terribly. The way they laughed and joked, and split the work together to lighten each other's loads. And it's hard to articulate the loss he's feeling without outright dissing Frost to her face. 

Cisco tried to reformulate his words, cutting out his irritation. She came to him on her own, and she was following the advice he provided. Despite her feigned nonchalance, he knew she really did hang onto every word he gives. 

"But you lied," he pointed out gently. "If you were honest, he wouldn't have felt so embarrassed when he walked into Jitters with split pants. He knew you knew he was flashing his Spider-Man undies even after he asked for your opinion on his outfit. See? Breach of trust." 

Cisco turned around, pulling his mask over his eyes so he could get back to work. He had just ignited his blow torch when it extinguished with a spurting fizzle. Cisco looked down to find ice over the nozzle. He bit back a groan and swung back to face her, raising an eyebrow after getting rid of the gear altogether. "Yes?" 

She could never just ask nicely. 

"So..." Frost frowned like she couldn't wrap her head around something. She brought one of her legs down from his desk, bending at the knee to lean against, pulled up to her chest. Her hair spilled over her ripped black jeans. "Telling the truth is more important than sparing feelings?" 

Loaded question. Cisco hesitated. "Sometimes." 

"Well, when do you know?" 

"It's a judgement call. When you feel it's important enough." 

"How do you know when it's important enough?" she pressed. 

Cisco massaged his temples. "If the truth is something that the person needs to hear, and you're telling them because you care about their well-being and you truly believe it will benefit them going forward, then yes, it supersedes being sensitive." He met her eyes. "Okay?" 

"Yeah, sure." 

"We good?" 

_Whatever, _she'd usually snark then stalk out. And then Cisco would find Ralph and they'd Compare Notes and Call Banks and Explain Things to save Caitlin's credit score or her reputation with her growingly exasperated landlord. 

"Do you have a migraine?" she said instead. Cisco started, taken aback. "I—Uh." He had to admit his fatigue could not be entirely blamed on Killer Frost's obnoxious gum chewing habit. 

She stood up, "When was the last time your prescription was refilled?" 

"It wasn't." 

"I'll get something for you." With a firm grip on his wrist, she yanked him out of his chair and stormed down the hall to the Med Bay in her socks. 

"...Caitlin?" 

Frost turned around and snapped, "Is it so hard for you to think I care?" 

Cisco blinked as she rummaged through the drawers of the Med Bay, unable to form any words to reply. 

Everything was disorganized now, the stethoscope he'd gifted her slung limply over the edge and bags of saline left unopened on the counter. And there was still all the art, reduced from her initial splurge, to lessen Caitlin's financial headache, splattered abstract all over the place. There because he had encouraged her to follow her own wants, explore her own inner-mind. And her framed masterpiece, the Princess Bubblegum copyright infringement in its 2HB graphite glory in the middle of it all. 

Without any finesse, Killer Frost broke the lock to Caitlin's drug cabinet, and dug through the array of medications until she found an orange capsule bottle. 

"Take two now. It's all I have left. I guess Caitlin would normally keep them in stock." She ripped off another sheet from Caitlin's memo pad and feigned her signature. "Get Kamilla to go to the pharmacy and don't skip out on their instructions. Okay?" 

Without the echoing voice or attitude mixed with the medical jargon, it was like she was really there. 

Cisco swallowed the lump down his throat, unable to explain the sudden prickle behind his eyes. "Okay," he whispered. 

Killer Frost crossed her arms. "Just say it." 

"No." There was nothing to say. It's a trap. If he tells her how much he misses Caitlin she'd simply use it against him. 

Her mouth pulled back tightly. "So you can give advice but can't take it?" 

Cisco twisted the child's lock on the bottle and unscrewed the cap, popping two pills immediately. He made a weird face as he washed it down with a cup from the sink, frowning deeply at her insinuation. "Excuse me?" He's not the one playing Risk and Monopoly with Caitlin's money and social status. 

"Fine," she said. "I'll do it." 

"Do what?" 

"What you told me to do." 

Cisco heaved a tired sigh. "You just need to apologize to Ralph about the boxers and--" 

"You're a coward who's given up on what you want with your life--"

"--Wait."

"No--"

"Frost--" 

"--_No._ You're dating a girl you have no feelings for because you think it's safer than falling for someone who might hurt you again and you're sitting every day in that little workshop of yours fiddling on toys you don't really care about because you don't get the chance to use them yourself." 

Cisco gawked. 

"You're not as nice as you think you are, you're bitter and mean, and yeah you yell, like a lot. You're rolling your eyes behind everyone's back and then mutter like we're the stupid ones. At least we're not running away from all our problems." 

"Frost--" 

"And you're not happy. You're not happy. It's not fooling anyone. Wake up." 

Godforsaken minutes dragged on like scraped skin against asphalt. Cisco wasn't sure how long they stood across the room from each other in tense silence.

Her demeanour was cool, neutral. Infuriating.

Cisco didn't know how to feel, the weight of the words still ringing in his ears. He fumbled, trying to find ammunition to fire back, anything to defend against the lost dignity Killer Frost just pulled under him like a rug. 

His vocabulary went blank, his brain numb, and when he opened his mouth nothing came out—Nothing. Nothing. Empty. 

The clock on the wall ticked, and Frost snapped her gum. 

"Why would you say that?" The burning sensation behind his eyes returned, threatening with a pressing passion. 

Finally she lifted her heated stare, scoffing in her trademark manner. With a flip of her hair, she closed the lights off on him still in the room. Her Caitlin voice carried from down the hall only an increment softer. "Why do you think?" 


End file.
